Bangladesh Cricket Board warns cricketers of repercussions in crackdown on player scandals

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s cricket board vowed tough action on Tuesday against any players accused of misconduct or bringing the game into disrepute amid a slew of high-profile scandals involving top stars.

The warning from the cricket board came as the wife of fast bowler Mohammad Shahid filed a complaint against her husband, accusing him of torturing her.

Farzana Akther told the Bangladesh Cricket Board over the weekend that her 28-year-old husband had hidden his marital status from other women and tortured her after she intervened, an official at the board said.

Shahid, who is undergoing treatment for a knee injury sustained during a domestic match, denied the allegations.

“The allegation of torture is not true. Somebody is provoking her to raise complaint against me,” Shahid told AFP.

BCB president Nazmul Hasan said it was difficult to monitor every aspect of players’ lives but warned of repercussions if they didn’t get their act together.

“We have tried a lot to control them when they are with the squad. We’ve become tougher when they stay in hotels under our care,” he told reporters.

“The problems start when they leave (the hotel). We cannot monitor their personal issues.

“We have taken action against similar incidents in the past. We want (them) to get everything in order, otherwise we’ll be compelled to take tough action in future.”

Shahid is the fourth Bangladesh cricketer embroiled in a personal scandal in recent years.

Pace bowler Rubel Hossain was detained in 2015 after an actress claiming to be his fiancee accused him of rape. The charges were later withdrawn.

Another pacer Shahadat Hossain spent nearly two months in custody in 2016 after he and his wife were arrested on charges of torturing a 11-year-old girl they employed as a maid. A court later acquitted the couple.

Left arm spinner Arafat Sunny was arrested in January and taken into custody after posting intimate photos of his girlfriend on social media.

The 30-year-old cricketer was released on bail in March after he told the court that the girlfriend was, in fact, his second wife.